Airport prepares to tear down old firehouse

Progress spells the end for a landmark at the Springfield-Branson National Airport. In the next few days, crews will begin tearing down the red brick fire house at the airport.

The building went up in the late 1960s, was expanded in the '70s and was a major upgrade from the old barrel-shaped building that it replaced. The airport abandoned the firehouse for an updated facility in 2009. By that time, modern fire trucks wouldn’t fit into old red brick building.

The lot occupied by the firehouse will soon be part of the airport’s newest expansion. It’s a $5.6 million project that will redevelop and expand the general aviation complex by making 12 acres ready for new airplane hangars. The general aviation complex is that part of the airport which caters to business and corporate aircraft.

The expansion project should be complete this fall, but not all of the old firehouse will fade into history. An old emergency alarm siren will remain as one of two sirens at the airport. They sound the alarm whenever an aircraft declares an emergency. Crews brought the old siren down from the roof of the old firehouse last week. It still works, but the airport hasn’t found a place yet to put it back into service.

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